President Obama: 'Tough talk and bluster' wrong move on Iran

President Barack Obama pushed back Monday at critics of the nuclear agreement reached with Iran over the weekend, arguing that it’s his responsibility to keep pushing for a diplomatic solution.

“We cannot rule out peaceful solutions to the world’s problems. We cannot commit ourselves to an endless cycle of conflict,” he said in San Francisco, in his first public remarks on the deal since his statement at the White House late Saturday. “Tough talk and bluster may be the easy thing to do politically, but it’s not the right thing for our security.”

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Obama confronts heckler

Since the deal was announced, key members of Congress from both parties — along with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — have voiced skepticism about the agreement and Iran’s willingness to cooperate with the international community.

Obama defended his approach. While it’s not “going to be easy [and] huge challenges remain,” he said, “we cannot close the close the door on diplomacy.”

The president’s comments came at the start of a speech on immigration reform at a recreation center in San Francisco’s Chinatown. The spirit of looking at “what we can build together,” whether on Iran or on immigration, is what brought him there Monday, he said.

Obama said he is “thankful” that House Speaker John Boehner is open to moving ahead on immigration reform and believes the Ohio Republican is “sincere.”

Though the Senate passed a comprehensive bill that Democrats favor, the president repeated his willingness to consider piecemeal bills. “It’s Thanksgiving — we can carve that bird into multiple pieces,” he said.